


Shine a Light

by ahsokaa



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: M/M, brief mentions of sex, but this is the most y'all ever getting out of me lol, flash redemption! it's time marvel!, let them be friends!!, or more of the lack of sex being had
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-06-06 02:21:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15184640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahsokaa/pseuds/ahsokaa
Summary: He watches in awe as Parker puts on his mask, then jumps off the roof. And it's all Flash can do to not completely lose his shit right then and there.Or, Flash and Peter are forced to room together on a decathlon school trip and Flash makes a startling discovery





	Shine a Light

**Author's Note:**

> this has been in my drafts for literally months so i decided i might as well publish it. hope you enjoy!

Flash pulls into the school parking lot at exactly 7:30 AM, a full fifteen minutes early. He can already see the crowd of decathlon kids forming around the school bus, chatting far too animatedly for the early hour. He pulls into his reserved space, checking his hair in the rearview mirror and grabbing his bag from the passenger seat before meeting up with the team.

He's greeted with waves and friendly smiles, which he acknowledges with a simple nod. Surveying the crowd, he notices everyone else is already here- everyone except Peter Parker, that is. Typical.

After bailing on them at last year's nationals, Flash had argued that Parker should be kicked off the team. Mr. Harrington had disagreed, though, welcoming him back warmly no matter how many times he ditched practice or flaked on team meetings. The way people bent over backwards for him made Flash sick. Just because he’s good at physics and has a fancy internship doesn’t make him some kind of super human. Besides, he isn’t  _that_ much smarter than Flash. And at least  _he_ has the decency to show up for practice.

As if summoned, Parker runs up to the group, spewing apologies for being late to MJ and greeting Ned with a kiss on the cheek. The other boy smiles warmly at him and Flash resists the urge to roll his eyes. Ever since the two had started dating at the beginning of the year, they have become nauseatingly affectionate.

Mr. Harrington sticks his head out of the bus and tells them all to start loading up. Flash makes his way inside, spreading out over a seat and tossing his bag on the floor next to him. MJ occupies the row directly in front of him, already pulling a massive book from her bag and opening it in her lap.

Parker and Ned end up in the seat across the aisle from him, laughing at something Flash didn’t hear. Parker leans in close and cups Ned’s cheek, kissing him softly. Flash turns away, making eye contact with MJ and fake gagging in disgust, but she just rolls her eyes at him and turns back to her book.

Mr. Harrington steps back on the bus and calls their attention toward him. “Alright, before we leave, let’s go over rooming arrangements. Flash, you’re with Abraham, Michelle, you’re with Cindy, Peter, you’re with Ned-”

“If they put up their ‘do not disturb’ sign at least this year we know why,” Flash snickers, raising his eyebrows suggestively. The two boys turn bright pink.

Mr. Harrington stops abruptly and looks over a him. Uh oh. He hadn’t meant for him to hear that. “What was that, Flash?”

“Uh, nothing,” he stammers but Mr. Harrington is already turning away from him and toward Parker and Ned.

“Are you two… romantically involved?”

“Um, yeah,” Ned says, slightly confused. Flash is surprised, too. How could anyone possibly have missed the fact that the two are together when they can hardly keep their hands off each other?

“Well, that won’t work then. I can’t have you two sharing a room on a school trip if you’re in a relationship.”

Before he can stop himself, Flash lets out a snicker. He instantly regrets it when Mr. Harrington turns back to him. “Flash, thank you for volunteering to switch. You can room with Peter, Ned, you’ll room with Abraham.”

_Shit._

Parker is already glaring at him from across the aisle. His head thump softly against the bus window. God, this field trip is gonna suck.

_______________

They arrive at the hotel later that night. It’s already getting late, so Mr. Harrington instructs them to drop off their things and get settled, then meet back in the lobby in fifteen minutes to go grab dinner.

Flash and Parker head up to their room on the third floor. Parker won’t look at him, staring angrily down at his own sneakers.

“This is us,” Flash says, stopping in front of the room labelled with a gold ‘313’. Parker grumbles in response. He slides the key card in and waits for the light to flash green before pulling the handle open.

Inside is a pretty standard hotel room. Two twin beds with white linens sit next to one another, a tiny nightstand dividing the two. There’s a TV and a small desk in the corner that faces a big window. Flash throws his bag onto the first bed, claiming is as his own. Parker tosses his own bag on the floor as he plops onto the bed next to his, staring intently at his phone screen. Probably texting Ned, Flash thinks. And he doesn’t feel a twinge of jealousy that Parker has someone who loves him as much as Ned does. Absolutely not.

They sit in silence until it’s time to leave.

_______________

The burger place they go to is crowded and loud. They sit at one big table in the back, the rest of his teammates joking and laughing all around him.

“You’re a dumbass,” MJ says in lieu of greeting as he sits next to her. He actually likes MJ. She doesn’t take any of his shit.

“Gee, MJ, tell me how you really feel.”

“I just did.” She shuts her book and looks up at him.

“What did I do this time?”

“Peter’s really pissed at you.”

“Yeah, I gathered that,” he says, rolling his eyes. “I didn’t know he’d get in trouble.”

“Hence the ‘dumbass’ part.”

“Shut up,” he says, but she’s smirking at him and he can’t help but smile too.

He looks at where Parker sits on the other side of the table, head rested on Ned’s shoulder. They’re talking quietly to one another, though Flash has no idea what about.

“They’re cute, aren’t they?” MJ says, following his gaze.

“Yeah, I guess.”

_______________

It’s dark when they get back to the hotel. Parker still won’t talk to him, not that Flash cares. Why would he?

They have to be up early in the morning, so Flash decides to call it a night. He gets ready for bed, then turns out the lights. “Goodnight,” he calls out to Parker, who says nothing in response. Typical.

He hasn’t been asleep for long when he wakes up again, drawn from sleep by who knows what.

 _12:07_ , the clock on his phone reads. He’d only been asleep for an hour. And that’s when he notices Parker’s empty bed next to him.

He unlocks his phone, and types out a text.

 **Flash:**  Hey, is Parker in your room?

 **Abe:**  No, just me and Ned

 **Flash:**  Weird. He’s not here either. Thought maybe he was with you guys

 **Abe:**  Nope. He better not bail again (side eye emoji)

 **Flash:**  Pretty sure MJ would actually kill him

 **Flash:**  Thanks anyway

 **Abe:**  Np

He briefly considers getting up to go look for him when he hears it. A noise coming from outside the window. He goes motionless, feigning sleep as he hears the window open, then shut again quickly. It’s dark in the room, so he peeks his eyes open, just a little, to see Parker crawling back into bed. He shuts his eyes again quickly, before Parker can notice that he’s awake.

And then he wonders what the hell just happened.

_______________

They board the bus again early the next morning and head to nationals. MJ quizzes them as they go, preparing their sleep addled minds for battle. That’s what she’d say, at least.

It goes well. Really well, actually. They win for the second year in a row, which is almost unheard of.

The team goes out to celebrate. Pizza and bowling, which is totally lame, but also kind of awesome. He and MJ kick ass at bowling, cheering each other on from their respective lanes. And it’s fun. He actually has fun.

They decide to continue the celebration when they get back to the hotel, with plans to change into swimsuits and meet back at the pool later. He enters the room to find Parker already there, spread out on his bed.

Parker still hasn’t really spoken to him. He hasn’t spoken much to Parker either, not about his disappearance the night before, or anything else for that matter. He’s beginning to feel a little guilty.

Flash stands there awkwardly, not quite sure what to say, but knowing he should say  _something_.

“Hey, um, some of us are going swimming. You know, if you want to come.”

“No thanks,” Parker says flatly.

He feels anger rise in his chest. “Dude, what’s your problem?” he finally asks.

“Nothing,” Parker bites. “Just leave me alone.”

“I'm not happy about this either, you know,” he says, arms folded across his chest.

“Yeah, but it's your fault.”

“Ugh, whatever. Just because you aren't getting laid doesn't mean you have to be so pissy.”

And the look on Parker’s face says it all.

“Oh my god, that's why you're so mad, isn't it?”

“Shut up.”

“Damn, Parker. On a school trip? Didn't think you had it in you.”

“It's not like we get a lot of chances at home,” Parker shrugs. “I don't know why I'm telling you this.”

“Yeah, I don't either. You must be losing your mind.” And Flash feels a surge of relief that the other boy knows he's kidding, and lets out a small laugh.

Parker looks back down at his shoes.

“We haven't... done it before.”

“What, had sex? Because if you can't even say it you're probably not ready.”

“Don't make fun of me.”

“I'm not,” Flash says, and something in his voice must tell Parker that he's serious.

“I haven't either, you know,” Flash admits.

“Really?” Parker asks, and Flash thinks he's kind of flattered by the disbelief in his voice.

He shakes his head.

There's a pause.

“I love him,” Parker says after a moment.

“I know that. Anyone with eyes knows that.”

“What about you?”

“Do  _I_ love Ned? That might be the dumbest thing you've ever asked me-”

“No!” Parker laughs. “I meant, do you like anyone?”

He contemplates for a moment whether he should tell him. But considering Parker basically just poured out his heart to him, he feels like he owes the guy a little. “I think I might like MJ,” he admits.

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

“No, that makes sense. You guys would be good together.”

Flash feels his cheeks warm. “Thanks.”

And that's how they spend the rest of the night- just talking. It's probably the most Flash has ever opened up to anyone, so it feels weird that it's  _Peter Parker_ of all people. But he makes it so easy, staring at Flash with the most sincere eyes and nodding along like he's really listening, like he really understands.

They call it a night a few hours later, and Flash manages to completely put Parker’s disappearance out of his mind.

That is, until he's awoken by the sound of Parker slipping out of the room a few hours later, dark hoodie pulled up over his face. Flash doesn't even think, he just slips on his shoes quickly and follows the other boy out of the room.

Parker takes the back stairwell, quietly climbing step by step. He watches for a moment before following, careful not to be seen. The other boy leads him up to the roof. Flash stands in the doorway, watching quietly as Parker starts-  _stripping_?

He wonders for a second if he's made a  _huge_ mistake- is he meeting Ned up here? Is Parker really stupid enough to hook up on the rooftop of a public building?

But then he realizes Parker is still fully dressed- in a Spider-Man suit. Not just any Spider-Man suit.  _The_ Spider-Man suit. He watches in awe as Parker puts on his mask, then jumps off the roof. And it's all Flash can do to not completely lose his shit right then and there.

_______________

Flash manages to hold it together until he's back in the room with the door closed.

Peter Parker is Spider-Man.

Holy shit.

It doesn't make any sense.

But then it does.

He paces the small room, his brain trying to consider all the facts. He remembers how Peter bailed on nationals last year, and then Spider-Man conveniently showed up to save them. He hadn't thought much of it at the time (he was just happy to be alive, after all), but what was the Queens-based superhero even doing in DC?

Then there's the matter of Parker’s chronic absences. And his connections to Tony Stark that, sure, maybe he doubted but now?

Holy shit.

It's 2:00 AM when he knocks on the of MJ’s room. And she is not happy.

“Wait!” he cries as she starts shutting the door on him. “I need to talk to you. It's  _important._ ”

She opens the door again, just a little. “Fine. What is it?” she asks, folding her arms across her chest.

“Not here. Come with me.”

She looks at him like she wants to argue, but follows him back to his room anyway. The room is still empty when they get back, no sign of Parker anywhere. MJ sits on the edge of his bed and looks up at him.

“What’s so important you had to drag me out of bed in the middle of the night?” MJ asks, clearly annoyed.

“Do you know?” Flash blurts.

“About what?” He can actually hear her patience thinning and god, he needs to get to the point before he really pisses her off.

“Spider-Man,” is all he can think to say, and MJ freezes.

“Yeah, I’ve known for a while. I sort of figured it out.” She pauses. “How did you find out? I'm assuming he didn't tell you.”

He shakes his head. “I saw him in the suit. I may have followed him,” he adds guiltily.

“You can’t say anything to him. He’ll freak.”

He nods. “Okay.”

“Or anyone else. Flash, I swear to god, if you tell people-”

“MJ, jeez, I wouldn’t- I would never do that.” Hurt crosses his face at the implication and she softens a little.

He sighs, taking a seat next to her. “Look, I know I give Peter a hard time, but- why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing, I just don't think I've ever heard you call him ‘Peter’ before.”

“Oh. I guess not.”

She stares at him intensely, but says nothing. “What?” he asks.

“You know, you act like such an asshole, but I think you're full of shit.”

“Oh, really?” Flash raises an eyebrow.

“Really.”

They're close, fingers almost touching in the space between them. They're close enough he could kiss her, but he doesn't, because sitting here, talking about Peter Parker is pretty much the exact opposite of a turn on. Plus, she's still  _so_ hard to read- for all he knows she might punch him for even trying. So he pushes the thought aside before he starts to dwell on it too much.

It's almost 4:00 AM when MJ heads back to her room. He thinks it's probably lucky that Peter hasn't come back yet, but mostly, he's just scared.

_______________

You look like hell,” Peter says to him the next morning. He probably does, considering how little he slept. Even after MJ left, he still couldn't sleep. He kept replaying moments in his head, from his talk with Peter earlier, to Spider-Man, to MJ’s comment about him. He couldn't seem to shake any of it, and his mind ran wild until early hours of the morning.

“You’re one to talk,” he jokes, but it’s true. Peter looks exhausted too. He must be, considering he didn't get back until at least 5:00 AM. Flash would know. He was awake too, after all.

He bites his lip, suddenly nervous. “Hey, Peter?”

“Yeah?” the other boy calls, rifling through his duffle.

Flash swallows. “Look, I know I give you a lot of shit, but I really do think you’re a cool dude.” Peter’s looking right at him now, but he pushes on. “And I’m sorry. For everything.”

Peter looks startled. “Oh, okay, um- thanks.”  

And those words are  _such_ a relief, it almost overwhelms him. He smiles at Peter, and Peter smiles back.

“Now, come on,” he says as he grabs his bag and throws an arm around the other boy’s shoulder. “Let’s go find your boyfriend.”

**Author's Note:**

> title comes from a song by the same name from heathers, because apparently that's where i get all of my titles from now
> 
> anyway, thanks for reading! find me on tumblr @gaynedleeds


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